My name's Deb, and I am so excited to be beginning this next phase of my fitness!

I have always been really active ... running, biking, swimming, hiking, lifting ... pretty much anything with an "ing" at the end! I love to work out, and that feeling of really killing it at the gym! Oh! And most of the time you'll find me hanging out or walking my four - year - old Golden Retriever (who is pretty much my life).

About a month ago, I had decided I had had enough of all the animal abuse and b.s., (I could no longer justify consuming a creature that had once been alive) and I decided to change my diet to a vegan one. My husband, while not on the same boat diet - wise, is super supportive and agrees with all my reasons for my lifestyle change. I will say it's a bit difficult cooking two somewhat different meals every evening, but that's another story for another day.

Anyway, I've been doing a little bit of trolling online, and noticed how many super fit vegan women there were, and got inspired! I sat down with my husband (who's taken the ACE certification exam ...) and set up a program, which I began implementing today. I am totally jazzed!

That's really all. I just wanted to introduce myself and say "hello" and share my enthusiasm with everyone! Have a great day!

Thanks for joining, and telling us a little about yourself. I'm the same as you, in that we have a boston terrier who rules in our house. Do you have a specific training schedule? What's your 'go-to' protein source? Do you live in an area that is vegan-friendly? My wife and I thought about moving somewhere more rural (we live in Chicago now), but then reconsidered since we would miss our favorite vegan restaurants.

As of right now, I'm training at a very beginner level. The schedule I have worked out looks something like this:

Day 1:30 minutes of HIIT ... running, cycling, elliptical .... as long as it's cardio. (I actually managed to run 2.93 miles in 30 minutes this morning, due to the intervals I was running ... not exactly lightning speed, but fast for me! Kind of a PR, I guess. )

Cardio is followed by upper body training:Pushups (standard and diamond ... no knees! To failure ... right now I'm at 2 sets of 10 ... low, but again, still good for me personally)Assisted Pull-upsBack rowLat pull-downBench pressBicep curls Overhead triceps extensionsShoulder press

As far as my protein goes, I'm a fan of tofu, tempeh and seitan at mealtimes ... and then I love almonds and walnuts as snacks. I also bring a serving of Good For Life's RAW protein to the gym with me, for after cardio and before lifting. Right now I've got the Chai flavor ... love it!

We live in a suburban area of a pretty big city, so finding vegan fare is relatively easy. There's two health food stores nearby, and there's actually an Asian grocery near my folks that sells sea vegetables and umeboshi plums for a whole lot less than the health food stores around here. So when I go visit (it's about an hour away) I stock up!

This all sounds great! I've been eating so much tofu for the past few months, I'm looking to switch up my diet to include more variety. Your training sounds pretty intense; 30 mins of HIIT is brutal! Don't worry about your rep count not being so high on the pushups. I remember when I couldn't do a single pullup, then I could do one (and I celebrated like no other), and now I'm up to doing three sets of twelve! All in due time. I guess just pay attention to form, and make sure you recognize your achievements.